Courtesy of Tom at Garage Sale Finds, where you can flip through the whole catalog. I suspect the (costly) films here were purchased primarily by elementary schools, because I remember watching a number of Disney flicks on the trusty projector in the 1970s. They were always the second tier films, though: Herbie, Snowball Express, The Apple Dumpling Gang, etc. I would have jumped around like a delighted madman if one of the teachers had busted out The Black Hole.

Interesting piece on the revolutionary effects of Tron, and the inevitable movement of film to a digital format. Says Richard Taylor, co-supervisor of special effects:

Computers can’t replace the uniqueness of actors. If a motion picture does not connect to your heart, it doesn’t matter how it looks. You cannot save a film by making it look good…

I don’t want people to believe that computers are a threat to society. They’re a creative tool that will allow people to express themselves more clearly, more uniquely. They are only going to make our lives easier.

More good stuff from byyourcommand.net: Disney employees dressed up in The Black Hole sentry and humanoid costumes for the premiere gala at the Century Plaza Hotel, now the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza Hotel, in Los Angeles. See more photos at the link.

According to the seller (Beach Parking/eBay), these are from the estate of a Disney animator. It’s a shame we don’t know his/her name or the history of the drawings, because I find them pretty interesting. The basic storyline appears to be in place, but instead of the gorgeously gothic vision we ultimately (and thankfully) got, the artist here presents much cheerier (i.e. typical Disney) fare.

In place of the dreary, massive, cathedral-esque Cygnus, we have the rotund, smiley-faced New Cosmos. And instead of lobotomized zombie slaves, we have a perfectly jovial crew traipsing about the amenity-laden ship like so many Eloi.

The miracle of The Black Hole is that its darker elements were allowed to shine through. That’s a big reason I’m so fond of the film despite the mediocre script.

UPDATE (4/3/13): Please see AcroRay’s comment and link below. These sketches appear to be of prequel stories designed for educational media kits. The kits are, naturally, very rare. If anyone comes across one or has more info, please let me know.

She’s checking out the Mickey Mouse Loop the Loop and Fun Castle Roller Coaster. The video below shows the Loop the Loop in action, and you can check out the Roller Coaster at The Retroist. Do toy companies even make stuff like this anymore?

Yeah, I just bought it. Can you make out the shrink wrap surrounding the box, nerds? That’s right. It’s never been opened. I win.

Who the hell is going to play this with me, you ask? Not my wife, obviously. She won’t even let me buy a Winnebago.

There can be only one person, really. He knows who he is. Yes, I refer to friend J.

Friend J. is very probably not going to be happy about it, because friend J. isn’t big on kiddie board games based on a much maligned Disney movie that attempted to capitalize on Star Wars (irony abounds).

In other words, friend J. doesn’t share my obsession with The Black Hole. But that’s too bad. Because The Black Hole is awesome, and he’s going to play this awesome game with me.